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My respect for HfP has increased recently as knee-jerk reactions to a potentially fluid situation are rarely the most fruitful in the long-term.
I would not link the BAEC tier changes to my readership of HfP at all. Whilst BA’s scheme gets outsized coverage and engagement, I have always been far more interested in the credit card strategies of others and wider possibilities beyond Avios. Despite being BA Gold thru April 2026, I heed my mother’s advice to never go near a foreign sausage so the lounge breakfast for me is always sausage-less (unless in DUB in which case the sausages are not foreign).
I do hope that the huge reaction to recent changes shows the level of user engagement HfP has and how this really isn’t being tapped into in terms of social events. The summer party is not guaranteed every year and is a huge lottery anyway. Smaller, free meet ups (coalitions of the willing) offer a concentrated insight into user sentiments beyond that which forum comments can offer.
Not lost interest at all. In fact I’m looking forward to a big reduction in people with status grabbing the best seats and therefore making the lounges quieter 🙂 Good for us but can’t see how it can be good for BA though. It’ll probably end up going the same way as their other good idea – brunch.
Not lost interest at all. In fact I’m looking forward to a big reduction in people with status grabbing the best seats and therefore making the lounges quieter 🙂 Good for us but can’t see how it can be good for BA though. It’ll probably end up going the same way as their other good idea – brunch.
Not in the short term with all the sparrows. Probably in the long term.
It could be less damaging than many anticipate as people tend to overreact immediately but get back to normal habits over medium term. They could also be tempted to pay for business class or seat selection etc which is pure bottomline gain for BA.Heya, understanding many people have varying opinions on BAEC changes, I am seeking respondents to provide their views on the benefits offered by the British Airways Executive Club program as a part of my undergraduate dissertation.
My name is Andrew Hoang, and I’m an undergraduate student at the University of Bristol. I am conducting research on whether business and leisure travellers perceive the benefits of frequent flyer programs differently as a part of my undergraduate dissertation, and I would like to do a case study on British Airways Executive Club members.
If you’re a member of the British Airways Executive Club, I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to complete my questionnaire. Your input will be valuable in helping me understand how these programs meet travellers’ needs.Here’s the link: [[https://forms.office.com/e/0x9bXiqbax]
If you would like to find out more about my research, as well as other participation information, I have attached supporting information in the cover page of my questionnaire that you can read upon before deciding if you are interested in participating.
Thank you for your time and support!
AndrewIve been playing this ridiculous status chasing game for the last 10 years obsessively. Ive done some silly things like a 24hrs in to Bogata just to keep Gold EC status. Ever since sitting in a hotel watching ‘Up in the Air’ and realising I was doing it all wrong! Im going to reach gold next month and thats that. Not just with BA but i think with everything. 10 years ago – status really counted. The difference in service and benefits made it justifiable. Same with premium cabins in general. Then Covid happened and businesses realised what they could get away with not doing and services in most areas are a shadow of what they were. BA/IAG celebrating record profits – but have they made changes to operational efficiencies? Probably not! All they have done is made cuts e.g. replacing £180 LPSG to bottle 1/4 of the cost and BOOM – With a fleet size of 582 flying thousands of flights a day, thats a saving of $100Ms a year a lone! 😉
I think there is always something to learn even when you have had considerable experience in booking fares with companion vouchers, starting and stop credit cards etc. And if BA is going to change to dynamic pricing like Virgin, it will be a whole new learning curve in relation to your specific travel requirements. We go to South Africa in Nov using Virgin and again to South Africa in Feb/March using BA. The amount of money you save on Premium Economy, Bus/Upper Class fares is still a no brainer!
Yes, I feel that if anything one ought to be visiting HfP more in light of the TP changes and even more again if there’s a move to dynamic reward pricing. The insights/analyses from @Rob and team are always perceptive and add order and clarity vs the angry stuff that doesn’t add value. The collective wisdom to be gleaned from the forums is also valuable, (as well as interesting window on life sometimes).
Having been in the points ‘game’ for over forty years, there have been an awful lot of ups and downs on earning and burning in that period but it’s still good fun (although I don’t take it half as seriously as some, which for me would detract) and offers great rewards and clever opportunities I might otherwise struggle to justify paying for.
The latest BA changes, big though they are, will in time be a blip on the chart like covid. Not worth getting het up about.
Ever since sitting in a hotel watching ‘Up in the Air’ and realising I was doing it all wrong!
User name checks out.
BA/IAG celebrating record profits –
It’s that part of the business cycle we are in. Airline profits usually peak just before the recession hits. Airlines typically devalue when demand is very strong.
Then sh1t hits the fan and BA will run discounts on Avios and bonus tier points to prop up demand.Ever since sitting in a hotel watching ‘Up in the Air’ and realising I was doing it all wrong!
User name checks out.
BA/IAG celebrating record profits –
It’s that part of the business cycle we are in. Airline profits usually peak just before the recession hits. Airlines typically devalue when demand is very strong.
Then sh1t hits the fan and BA will run discounts on Avios and bonus tier points to prop up demand.100% agree we are at the top of airline profits. Can’t wait for IAG to come undone in the next recession. Serves them right for being so greedy now at the expense of loyal customers
I don’t know the business rationale (other than air miles are effectively a “free loan” to the airlines), but perhaps they are sitting on such more “Avios liability” specifically to burn it during a recession/downturn (given the mandatory surcharges on Avios flights).
In an ideal world, maybe BA would expand (more flights) to take some Avios off their balance sheet – but at LHR at least it’s not possible. And if you’re selling seats at above Avios levels, what’s the point?
Just guessing…..
No, not lost interest in HfP, though we have largely lost interest in Avios (and all FFPs).
A major reason for the loss of interest in Avios is the spiralling cost of Travel Insurance for anywhere outwith Europe, and within Europe we much prefer to travel by train or car.For myself, I am hoping that upcoming Marriott-Nectar link is good enough to make an Avios->Nectar->Marriott conversion worth it, particularly as my Marriott MasterCard is set to die in 13 days time.
Not pleased that I could not put any of the cost of my new(ish) car onto that card yesterday, because Creation seem to have two different postcodes for me (one – correct – for postal address and a different one – incorrect – for data matching when CNP transactions take place).To an extent.
I have, and will for the foreseeable, get Avios on my credit card spending (HSBC Premier). Even if I were to cash out via nectar, this would get me ~1% cash back with the 25% bonus. But it also gives me the chance for short haul receptions which, especially at the last minute are several p/Avios genuine value.
But… where I have definitely lost all interest is in collecting with the airline. Both from Avios with BA (now £££ based and status bonus such a pittance I don’t bother altering any plans for the miles), as well as status. Before I would be happy to do a slightly odd routing, ensuring BA codes, to get status which was attainable. Now I have already started choosing the most convenient, and rely on HSBC premier lounge access to ease the lost status.
Because of my ongoing interest in maximising the Avios I have, as well as getting perks on journeys I may not have got, I will continue to read HfP. But probably wouldn’t do some of the more effort-requiring things to get Avios and/or BA tier points compared with previously.
Nope, quite the opposite for the short-term at least! Status matched to RJ from my main airline (where I will semi-solidly remain btw.) But for the first time since uni I’m mileage running for kicks. I completely forgot how much fun it was to take 40+ flights to nowhere over the span of a few weekends, building an itinerary, tweaking it due to flight changes, buying postcards at every duty free layover, taking a Playmobil along and staging him everywhere to fill a photo album of this little project.
During the “old” BA scheme you could double TP yourself to status, and with the “new” BA scheme you can spend yourself there. I don’t see much of a difference, it’s just a certain tax bracket that can no longer play. I wouldn’t do either for my main program. But an old-school mileage run. Waking up at midnight and getting back passed midnight again. Man. I completely forgot what I had missed. I feel young again, reminded of that gilded epoch before adult commitments.
I’m perfectly aware it won’t last forever, but I’m happy it’s here for now.
Lol, @titaniumostrich is that your new RJ status? I think I’ll RhodiumKakapo, in that case. Haven’t taken a Playmobil figure on holiday for about 10 years, but we used to have to cart tiny pirates and their accessories everywhere with us.
Tell us more about your destinations and airlines!
@NorthernLass Rhodium eh? Too rich for my blood. I heard you guys have access to a secret T3 lounge, pecking away at unlimited conveyor belt baklava & a tahini fountain you can dip your falafel in. I’m doing MAD connections now, aiming to tick all the Air Nostrum & Iberia Express destinations off my list first (goal within a goal). Some such as Logroño will require an overnight, I’ll keep those for last as they won’t be runs perse, those are weekends away. Post-April we’ll commence doing one-ways into the Continent, taking AFKL back on the return legs is my current plan.
I thought, hell why not just take the other 80 flights needed to keep the status after qualification as well. And I know what you are thinking, they probably reinstated the metal requirement by 2027. But I’ve gotten so much pleasure from this weekend warriorism, quite frankly the status has become an afterthought.
It’s an absolutely wonderful experience, sharing the night bus with drunk lads & graveyard shift bin collectors. I’ve completely given up on the Iberia callcenter to get the FF number added & seat assignment sorted. Only terminally ill retirees and those on the dole have the time to stay on hold for that long. A few flights can truly add up to a full days’ work. (Perhaps the smart move would’ve been to hit Iberia Silver first to have access to marginally better operators?) I just thrust myself into the complete lottery of seat assignments at the check-in desk like a pauper. Which completely beats the point of being an Ostrich, the irony is not lost on me.
You are a bird after my own heart! I may well be joining you on your odyssey to such obscure airports as Badajoz and Valladolid, depending on what happens come May ’26.
I take it RJ doesn’t appear in the IB drop-down box at the point of booking, I’ve never noticed?
Surely you’re a weekend wanderer though? I thought the warrior variants just marched around London, virtue signalling, lol.
Yes, I feel that if anything one ought to be visiting HfP more in light of the TP changes and even more again if there’s a move to dynamic reward pricing. The insights/analyses from @Rob and team are always perceptive and add order and clarity vs the angry stuff that doesn’t add value. The collective wisdom to be gleaned from the forums is also valuable, (as well as interesting window on life sometimes).
Having been in the points ‘game’ for over forty years, there have been an awful lot of ups and downs on earning and burning in that period but it’s still good fun (although I don’t take it half as seriously as some, which for me would detract) and offers great rewards and clever opportunities I might otherwise struggle to justify paying for.
The latest BA changes, big though they are, will in time be a blip on the chart like covid. Not worth getting het up about.
Can’t have been in points game with BA for over 40 years, 40 years ago BA exec club was pay to join. Only became mileage based in 1990
I have been following Rob’s posts both of FlyerTalk and here for 20 years or more and have learnt a lot over that time and collected millions of points and miles! And being Gold on BMI and BA as well as Senator on LH for a year.
I wouldn’t have flown F otherwise as generally J is sufficient for me. Indeed a memorable trip for me was when I took all the family to NY back from DC in F – the return being on the A380.
Looking forward to many more flights even though I won’t be BA Gold after April 26.
@NorthernLass Ah! The summer routes between the obscure ghost airports & places like PMI. Why did I not think of those yet! Great to do a bit of thinking out loud.
Yes you can add the FF on all platforms, but once you hit refresh it seems to to have flown the coop.
@Garethgerry – I did collect points with BA over 40 years ago, but in those days one did it with/via AAdvantage which offered very generous miles accumulation (including for Concorde you have mentioned elsewhere) and had a most advantageous UK credit card with RBS, then latterly Air Miles before Avios. I was also AF Club 2000 if you remember that.
@NorthernLass Rhodium eh? Too rich for my blood. I heard you guys have access to a secret T3 lounge, pecking away at unlimited conveyor belt baklava & a tahini fountain you can dip your falafel in.
@titaniumostrich This, and @NorthernLass with the Rhodium Kakapo made me laugh out loud – what a vision! 😂Thinking of posters who have made me chuckle, is there a half-term trip report from @Froggee coming soon I wonder?
Going to add my 2 cents to this.
I started collecting AirMiles when they were paper vouchers back in the 90s as I had a sideline in selling computers and Action were extremely generous at handing out said vouchers. At the time BA had a proper network from MAN with their own dedicated terminal that flew to a lot of places.
My first redemption was MAN-AMS for me and my best friend, my second was MAN-LHR-JFK on Concorde together with a business class return flight for the amazing price of 1000 miles + £1000.
I’ve dabbled with many FF programs over the years but since BAs pull back from MAN and the appalling experiences I’ve had flying MAN-LHR-XXX which has ruined several trips for me I have little interest in flying with them any more. I did briefly earn silver status but never managed to use it as my intended destinations always seemed to be where Oneworld didn’t fly during that year.
Since retirement my ability to get any CC with bonuses is now zero due to unprovable income so basically Oneworld and Avios are largely dead to me, apart from burning my remaining Avios pot on (probably) Aer Lingus where possible or maybe Finnair/Iberia. I do have an inclination for a RTW/Multicarrier ticket but we’ll see next year if I can pull that off.
Likewise Virgin are dead to me after the recent changes, apart from burning my large pot of VS points on the occasional flight to/from NYC/ATL where I can see a bargain. Being time rich I can take advantage of their ridiculously inconsistent pricing fluctuations.
These days I actively collect United miles as there’s a lot more flexibility on their route network, my ambition is to finally manage to use their excursionist perk (look it up if you don’t know what it is) and I’m trying to build a pot of AA miles for cheap Qatar redemptions in the future.
@davefl, is there still a United service from MAN?
Unfortunately not, just EDI,DUB,LHR but I like their redemption on partners better than other alliances.
Their miles got me back from Dubrovnik via FRA for only 8000 when Jet2/Ezy wanted £300+ I’ll look at them to get back from the US in future as well when VS want silly amounts.
Hard to get their miles though, I get most of them via Rocketmiles who pay out consistently unlike other affiliate marketing companies we won’t mention.
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